1. FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to a camera having a function of automatically taking a close-up of a person in portrait mode photographing.
2. DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART
Recently, there has been developed an electronic still camera system wherein an image pickup device such as a solid state image sensing device or an image pickup tube is combined with a recording device using a magnetic disc inexpensive as a recording medium and yet having a comparative high memory capacity. A subject is still-photographed electronically and recorded into a rotating magnetic disc, and the reproduction of an image is carried out by a television, a printer or the like, which are provided separately. The above-described camera system has become the object of public attention.
Now, the following disadvantage has been found in the electronic still camera of the type described because of the construction thereof. Namely, in the electronic still camera, the degree of integration of the charge coupled device (CCD) for image-sensing a subject to be taken is still low even with the current technique of forming the integrated circuits, and the resolution of the image is unsatisfactory. Since reproduction of the sensed image is performed through a television (hereinafter referred briefly to as "TV"), the resolution of the image influences the number of picture elements and the number of scanning lines of the TV screen. Because of this, in photographing by use of the electronic still camera, it is necessary to pay sufficient consideration to the size of the subject to be taken, as will be described hereunder.
In general, the ratio of a face to the space it occupies in the photographic background in the case of photographing a portrait develops the following tendency. More specifically, FIG. 3 shows a photo print, in which L indicates the longitudinal dimension of the photo print and H the size of a face, respectively. FIG. 14 is a chart, wherein a ratio H/L, at which the face occupies a space in a photo print in general is given as an abscissa and a frequency, at which the ratio H/L occurs, is given as an ordinate. As apparent from the drawing, in general, amateur cameramen tend to take in a person as a whole in the photo copy when the subject to be taken is a person. As a result, the highest frequency occurs when the abscissa H/L is about 0.1. However, at the time of photographic printing, a silver salt film of fine grain structure is used as a recording medium, so that an image printed on a photographic printing paper is good in resolution and sharply taken, thus presenting no problem.
In contrast thereto, in a method of reproducing a sensed image on a TV screen, e.g. TV broadcasting, the following contrivance in photographing is made. FIG. 15 shows an ordinary TV screen. In the drawing, L indicates the size of screen in the longitudinal direction, and H the size of a face, respectively. FIG. 16 is a chart, wherein the ratio H/L, at which a face of an image of a person delivered from a TV broadcasting station occupies a space in the TV screen shown in FIG. 7, is given as an abscissa and a frequency, at which the rates H/L occur, is given as an ordinate. The drawing show that the highest frequency occurs when H/L is about 0.3. As described above, when the subject to be taken is a person in a TV image, to improve the resolution of the sensed image and make the sensed image easy in looking at, it is found that, the face portion is photographed and broadcasted so as to occupy about 30% of the TV screen.
As shown above, when the subject to be taken is a person, if photographing is made by use of the electronic still camera with the feeling of photographing by a camera using an ordinary silver salt film, then, when, the sensed image is reproduced on the TV screen so as to photograph the face to be small, the resolution is lowered, thus presenting a problem that the face cannot be distinguished.
As a consequence, to photograph a person by use of an electronic still camera, it is designable to use an electronic still camera having a function of automatically taking a closeup.
Recently, a so-called TV photo system has been utilized, in which the subject photographed by a camera on a negative, a print or the like is recorded and stored in a magnetic disc for an electronic camera, reproduced as necessary, and displayed on a TV screen for enjoying.
Even with this system, it is necessary to take a closeup.
Further, with a film having a small number of picture elements, such as a 110 film and a disc film, is used it is preferable to take a close-up when a person is photographed.